MACC and EC to report to Parliament

Major overhaul: Forty agencies will be redesignated to other ministries, while 10 agencies, including 19 offices and task forces, under the Prime Minister’s Office will be abolished. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: From over 90 agencies and departments under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), a massive overhaul will see the number reduced to only 26 entities.

Forty will be redesignated to other ministries, while 10 agencies, including 19 offices and task forces, under the Prime Minister’s Office will be abolished.

Nine have been given the green light to operate as independent entities, reporting directly to Parliament while five other agencies have been merged.

Among the nine are the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Election Commission, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia and the National Audit Department.

The Attorney General’s Chambers will still be under the PMD, but its prosecuting functions have been placed under the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will now report to Parliament.

The Malaysian Parliament, which was also under the PMD, is an independent entity now.

The remaining three agencies reporting directly to Parliament are – Public Service Commission, Edu­cation Service Commission and the Judicial Appointments Com­mission.

All these were contained in a letter to the PMD on June 26, with The Star having a copy.

Chief Secretary to the Govern­ment Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa signed off the restructuring, which came into effect yesterday.

Another letter dated June 28 and addressed to the Public Service Department, stated that the PMD has proposed a rationalisation plan for the PMD to Dr Ali.

The overhaul was approved following discussions between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Moha­mad and Dr Ali.

Another point of the letter stated that the list of departments and agencies affected would also be subjected to the list of Cabinet members and ministries that will be announced today.

“If the agencies that were proposed in the rationalisation exercise is put under ministries that are not in the list, then the agencies will be retained under the Prime Minister’s Department,” the letter read.

As for the abolitions, among offices that will be shut down are those of the special envoys.

The country’s special envoy on Infrastructure to India and South Asia Tun S. Samy Vellu is expected to have his services ended on Dec 31.

The offices of the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to East Asia (comprising Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) and Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China, will also be abolished.

Former MCA president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, who was the special envoy to China, resigned in Janua­ry.

Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who was the special envoy to East Asia, is the Progressive Democratic Party president.

The special envoy positions are with ministerial status.

Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, who was the Socio-Cultural Adviser to the Government and whose contract expired on Saturday, is also expected to see his services come to an end.

The Land Public Transport Commission is expected to be abolished and its functions absorbed by the Transport Ministry.

Others to be abolished included the National Professors Council, the National Innovation Agency, Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Affairs Division, Women Innovation Academy, Socio­-economic Research Institute and the International Multilateral Part­nership Against Cyber-Threats.

Under the PMO, those that will be abolished are the Special Imple­mentation Task Force, Civil Service Delivery Unit, National Branding Division and the National Transfor­mation 2050 secretariat.

Meanwhile, the Legal Affairs Division, which comprises the Legal Aid Department and the Insolvency Department, will be merged into a ministry called the Law and Judiciary Ministry.

Redesignations involve the Eastern Sabah Security Command, which will be moved to the Home Ministry; the Federal Land Development Authority, Statistics Department, Halal Development Corporation, Amanah Raya Bhd, Yayasan Ekuiti Nasional and the Economic Planning Unit to the Economic Affairs Ministry while 1Malaysia For Youth will be rebranded and redesignated to the Youth and Sports Ministry.

The Finance Ministry will receive the Public Private Partnership Unit, Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority and the East Coast Economic Region Deve­lopment Council.